Blister pack and method of forming the same



o. w. STONE 3,399,763 BLISTER PACK AND METHOD OF FORMING THE SAME Sept. 3, 1968 3 Sheets-5heet 1 Filed May 4, 1966 INVENTOR.

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o. w. STONE 3,399,763

BLISTER PACK AND METHOD OF FORMING THE SAME Sept. 3, 1968 3 Sheds-Sheet 2 Filed May 4, 1966 IN VEN'TOR.

0191500 "14/ STCWE Arm/Yo Sept. 3, 1968 o. w. STONE 3,399,763

BLISTER PACK AND METHOD OF FORMING THE SAME Filed May 4. 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I N VEN TOR. OQISON M 5ro -/e ATM/YE) United States Patent York Filed May 4, 1966, Ser. No. 547,625 Claims. (Cl. 20678) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in consumer packages of the type generally referred to as blister packs, and, more particularly, to a novel blister style package in which the blister flange is firmly retained within the structure of its mounting base and to a novel method for fabricating such a package.

Blister packs generally consist of a mounting or base panel, formed from a relatively rigid material, such as paperboard, and a relatively inflexible flanged articlecovering blister or shell that is heat sealed to the base panel. The blisters frequently are fabricated from transparent thermoplastic materials that can be processed by blow-molding or other thermoforming techniques.

Heretofore, such packages have been subject to pilferage of the contents merely by breaking the seal between the blister flange and the mounting panel and removing the contents. Additionally the presence of the blister flange on an exposed face of the mounting panel generally covers a part of the printing and thus esthetically detracts from the appearance of the package.

Packages constructed in accordance with this invention overcome the above-noted deficiencies and, additionally, provide structures of greatly increased strength and eliminate the need for heat sealing the blister to the panel.

Therefore an object of this invention is to provide a blister type package in which the flange of the blister is firmly retained within the body of the base panel whereby to effect a unitary structure in its finally assembled form.

Another object of this invention is to provide a package of the character stated in which the base panel is formed from a material having at least one internal plane of cleavage in the area to receive the flange of an articlecovering blister whereby the flange of the blister may be retained within that portion of the base panel immediately surrounding the blister area.

Another object of this invention is to provide a package of the character indicated in which the top surface of the mounting panel is die or otherwise cut to the outline configuration (less flange) of an article-containing blister and to a depth reaching an internal plane of cleavage in the mounting panel, and in which the bottom surface of the mounting panel may be die or otherwise cut to at least a part of the outline configuration of the blister flange to a depth reaching the same plane of cleavage reached by the cut on the top surface.

Another object of this invention is to provide a package of the character indicated in which the die cut on the bottom surface of the mounting panel includes a cut spanning the flange-outline cut to define two closure flaps displaceable out of the plane of the mounting panel and permit insertion of the blister and its contained article, the material of the mounting panel in the zone defined by the outer limits of the top die cut and the bottom die cut being split along a cleavage plane of the mounting panel to provide an area for the reception of a portion of the blister flange.

A further object of this invention is to provide variations in the top and bottom die cutting of the mounting panel to provide corresponding variations in the bottom closing flaps.

A further object of this invention is to provide a package of the character indicated in which separation of portions of the mounting panel along the plane of cleavage consequent to the top and bottom die cuts effect Well defined hinge and glue strips on the closure flaps.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a novel method for forming packages of the character indicated in which a mounting panel having an internal plane of cleavage is die cut from its upper surface to a depth reaching the plane of cleavage in a configuration conforming to the outline of the body of an articlecontaining blister, and either simultaneously or sequentially is die cut from its bottom surface to a depth reaching the plane of cleavage to define a pair of closure flaps having a combined width spanning the blister flange and foldable about hinge lines, after which portions of the closure flaps are displaced out of the plane of the mounting panel to permit insertion of a splitting wedge or knife and then moving the splitting knife along the plane of cleavage to create voids or channels for receiving at least portions of the blister flange and/ or to create glue lines on the closure flaps for final sealing.

With these and other objects, the nature of which will be apparent, the invention will be more fully understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, the following detailed description and the appended claims.

In the drawings wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one form of blister pack constructed in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the blister pack shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical section taken along line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged horizontal section taken along line 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged horizontal section taken along line 55 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the mounting panel for the package shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 after initial die cutting but prior to cleavage separation of the slosure flaps;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged detail transverse section taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 but taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is an inverted exploded view of the package shown in FIGS. 15;

FIG. 10 is a bottom plan view of a modified form of blister pack constructed in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 11 is a detail transverse 11-11 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the mounting panel for the package of FIG. 10 and shows the separation of the closure flap along the plane of cleavage;

FIG. 13 is an inverted exploded view of another modified form of blister pack constructed in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 14 is a bottom plan view thereof in its assembled state; and

FIG. 15 is an enlarged detail transverse section taken along line 1515 of FIG. 14.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 9 of the drawings, it will be seen that the therein illustrated form of blister pack constructed in accordance with this invention includes an article-containing blister 5 having a continuous, planar, outwardly extending securing flange 6 which is adapted to be received and retained within the body of a relatively rigid mounting panel, generally indicated by numeral 7.

Although the mounting panel 7 may be fabricated from and fibrous sheet material that can be readily split along an internal plane of cleavage, best results in the practice of this invention are achieved if the mounting panel is section taken along line fabricated from sheet fibrous material, such as laminated paperboard, in which the adhesive strength between plies is sufiicient to prevent accidental separation during normal processing and use, but is weak enough to provide natural planes of cleavage to readily permit separation of the plies in areas that can define access openings, closure flaps and blister flange-receiving voids or channels. Relatively low density paperboards made on a cylinder type of paperboard machine or on a Fourdrinier machine using secondary head boxes are also particularly adaptable to the practice of this invention, since the paperboards pro duced by such machines contain readily identifiable planes of cleavage between the successively deposited layers of wood pulp.

In this form of the invention, the mounting panel 7 is die cut on its top side to a configuration corresponding to the outside of the blister 5, as viewed in top plan, in such a manner that the cut goes completely through the panel from points A to B and from points C to C on each side of the longitudinal (vertical) axis of the panel; and is also die cut along the line 8 from point A to point D to a depth reaching a plane of cleavage within the body of the panel 7.

The bottom side of the mounting panel 7 is also die cut (FIG. 2 and 6) to a depth reaching the same plane of cleavage as the top side die cut along the line 8, to define a closure flap edge 9, a glue and blister retaining tab or flap 10 extending upwardly from the points A, A, and upper and lower diagonal cuts 11, 11 and 12, 12 which define laterally positioned glue and blister-retaining flaps 13, 13 foldable about naturally defined or scored hinge lines 14, 14.

After the above described die cuts have been made a cleaving or splitting knife or wedge is introduced along the edge 9 on the bottom of the panel 7 and from right to left, as viewed in FIG. 6 of the drawings, as far as the left hinge line 14 to release and define an outer combined closing and blister flange-retaining flap generally indicated at 15. Following this, another cleaving or splitting knife or wedge is introduced from left to right along the right line B-C to the right hinge line 14 to release the define an inner combined closing and blister flange-retaining flap generally indicated at 16.

The package may be assembled after the mounting panel 7 has been thus prepared simply by successively opening the flaps 15 and 16 to expose the blister-receiving aperture, then inserting the blister from the bottom so that its flange 6 becomes positioned within the flap areas 10 and 13, 13, then inserting an article into the cavity of the blister and folding the flaps 16 and 15 thereover to form a closure that can be sealed by the application of any suitable adhesive in the zone defined by the overlapped edges 8 and 9 and the upper projecting flap 10.

A modified form of blister pack is illustrated in FIGS. 10-12 of the drawings and includes an article-containing blister 17 having a continuousoutwardly extending flange 18 secured to a mounting panel 19 formed from the same type of fibrous sheet material as the panel 7.

In this embodiment of the invention, the upper face of the panel 19 is die cut as follows to the configuration of the blister body 17: from points E to E it is die cut completely through its thickness, as it is from points F to F; from points E to F on each side of the longitudinal axis of the blister, the panel is die cut along a straight line 19' to a depth reaching the internal plane of cleavage of the panel material.

Either simultaneously or sequentially, the bottom face of the panel 19 is die cut along the line defined by the points GG and the lines extending between points E, G and F, G to a depth reaching the same internal plane of cleavage as referred to above to define 'a potential glue flap 20. Additional die cuts, reaching the same plane of cleavage, 'are made between the opposite points E, F and a pair of points H, H which together define a potential hinge line 21.

The above described die cuts collectively define a blister closing and securing flap generally indicated 22.

After these die cuts have been made, the cleaving knife is introduced under and moved along the line GG and across as far as the hinge line 21 extending between the points H, H to separate the material of the panel 19 along its internal line of cleavage 'and thus release the flap 22 for displacement about the hinge line 21 to permit the blister 17 to be inserted through the thusly opened aperture.

Once the blister 17, with its contained article, has been inserted through the aperture with its flange 18 in face to face contact with the under side of the panel 19, the flap 22 is folded back to its original position so that the glue flap 20 can be secured to the body of the panel 19.

An additional modification of the blister pack is illustrated in FIGS. 13-15 of the drawings and includes an article-containing blister 23 having an outwardly extending continuous flange 24 which is secured to a mounting panel 25 that is formed from the same type of fibrous sheet material as the panel 7.

In this embodiment of the invention, the upper face of the panel 25 is die cut as follows to the configuration of the blister body 23: from points I to I and points I to J it is die cut completely through its thickness; from each pair of points LJ it is cut to a depth reaching the internal plane of cleavage of the panel material; and a full thickness median cut is made between the points KK. Also, the under face of panel 25 is cut between points LJ and LI to a depth reaching the internal plane of cleavage of the panel material.

To prepare the mounting panel 25 for reception of the blister 23, a cleaving knife is introduced under the median die cut KK to lift one closure panel, generally indicated at 26, out of the plane of the mounting panel 25 and then moved in a direction to cleave the panel body from the line I] to a hinge line defined by the points L, L. The same cleavage operation is then performed with respect to the opposite panel 26 and its hinge line L, L.

The blister 23 is then inserted through the aperture formed by opening the flaps 26, 26 with portions of its flange 24 overlying the ledges defined by the rectangular cleaved areas I-J-L-I. Thereafter, the flaps 26 are folded back into place 'and secured by a gummed or pressure-sensitive tape 27 spanning the median cut defined by the line KK.

Thus it will be seen that this invention provides novel forms of blister packs in which the mounting panels for flanged blisters are internally cleaved planarly to define blister flange-receiving and retaining spaces or ledges and in which closure and/or securing flaps are formed concurrently therewith.

It is, of course, to be understood that variations in details, proportions of parts, and sequence of method steps may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A blister pack comprising a flanged blister for containing an article and a mounting panel for the blister, said mounting panel comprising a sheet of a homogeneous material having at least one internal plane of cleavage and being provided with an aperture for receiving the body of the blister which projects beyond one face of the mounting panel with the blister flange overlying edge portions of said aperture on its opposite face, certain portions of the aperture edge portions being split along an internal plane of cleavage of said sheet whereby to define recessed areas for receiving and retaining corresponding portions of the flange of the blister.

2. The blister pack of claim 1 in which the sheet of the mounting panel is also die cut in areas having at least portions contiguous to said recessed areas whereby to form hingable closing and securing flaps adapted to overlie the otherwise open face of the blister.

3. The blister pack of claim 2 in which portions of the hingable flaps extend beyond the associated flange portions of the blister whereby to define securing tabs fastenable to underlying portions of the mounting panel.

4. In a method of fabricating a blister pack comprising a flanged article-containing blister and a mounting panel therefor formed at least in part from a sheet of a homogenous material having an internal plane of cleavage, the steps of forming a blister-receiving aperture in the mounting panel, separating portions of the panel along a plane of cleavage in the sheet in areas adjacent to certain edge portions of said aperture to a width sufiicient to accommodate corresponding flange portions of the blister, inserting the body of the blister 5 steps of cleaving the sheet of the mounting panel in such a manner as to define at lea-st one closure and securing flap adapted to close the bottom opening of the blister and overlie at least a portion of the flange thereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 11/1957 Phipps 206-78 5/1960 Ferguson 206-78 MARTHA L. RICE, Primary Examiner. 

1. A BLISTER PACK COMPRISING A FLANGED BLISTER FOR CONTAINING AN ARTICLE AND A MOUNTING PANEL FOR THE BLISTER, SAID MOUNTING PANEL COMPRISING A SHEET OF A HOMOGENEOUS MATERIAL HAVING AT LEAST ONE INTERNAL PLANE OF CLEAVAGE AND BEING PROVIDED WITH AN APERTURE FOR RECEIVING THE BODY OF THE BLISTER WHICH PROJECTS BEYOND ONE FACE OF THE MOUNTING PANEL WITH THE BLISTER FLANGE OVERLYING EDGE PORTIONS OF SAID APERTURE ON ITS OPPOSITE FACE, CERTAIN PORTIONS OF THE APERTURE EDGE PORTIONS BEING SPLIT ALONG AN INTERNAL PLANE OF CLEAVAGE OF SAID SHEET WHEREBY TO DEFINE RECESSED AREAS FOR RECEIVING AND RETAINING CORRESPONDING PORTIONS OF THE FLANGE OF THE BLISTER. 